After what seems like months, if not years, my book has finally arrived. It looks beautiful. Although I have never delivered a child, I am sure this is the next best thing. Oh yeah, no late nights, no lack of sleep, and no crying (except for me). Maybe it is the BEST thing.
This book is all me, with some help from various people, but from the beginning concept to the end product, this book has been a vision of mine for years. (Okay, so every nonfiction author dreams of writing a novel, but that may be the next item on my agenda.) The primary reason I wrote the darned thing was to help trial lawyers avoid mistakes at the superior court level that will hurt their chances on appeal. For over 30 years, I have seen the same type of mistakes over and over again. I have talked about them, lectured on them, written about them, but now, I have collected most of my wisdom - yes, even I have secrets - so that trial lawyers will benefit.
Someone recently asked me, "Let me get this straight, you are writing a book with advice, that if followed, will essentially put you out of work?" Well, I didn't think of that way, and prefer not to, but I guess there is something to be said about that line of thinking. No, I don't think that the appellate courts will close their doors if everyone follows my advice. There still will be work for appellate attorneys. But truthfully, if I am going to handle an appeal, I would want to be in the best position to win. So, that is my hope for you trial attorneys after you have read the book.